I did an inspection of a 5 year old home the other day that was a treat. My life would be a lot easier if all homes had so few issues. I don’t want to imply that the house did not have any issues at all—that would be silly. All homes can benefit from some improvement, upgrade or change.

There was a clue at the end of the driveway, before I even got to the house, visible from where I would take the picture of the house for the cover of the photo that was perhaps a hint of what was to come.

AT the ninety degree angle where the driveway runs into the roadway curb, the corner of the driveway is always vulnerable to breaking off from the first vehicle that makes too wide a turn into or out of the driveway. Vehicles like moving fans or delivery trucks are common offenders, but sooner or later it might even be the owner’s own car that puts enough weight on the corner to snap it off.

To anticipate this breaking, the builder had a “relief joint” installed in the concrete work. In this way when it does snap off, it will snap off in a nice even line that won’t show as badly as it would without it.

While not a guarantee, this “hint” of quality did play out in the rest of the home—for the most part.